1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to units installed in electronic equipment and connection mechanisms of transmission lines of the electronic equipment, and more particularly, to a unit installed in electronic equipment which implements an information process or communication by applying an optical fiber as a transmission line for an optical signal, and a connection mechanism of the optical fiber.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electronic equipment such as optical communication equipment used for optical communication wherein an optical signal is used, a core network is required to have a mass capacity as data communication increases or transmission demand accompanied with spread of the Internet increases. Because of this, it is requested for the electronic equipment to have a high density installed devices or achieve a large capacity information transmission or a high functional information transmission.
For corresponding to the above-mentioned request, a WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) type of electronic equipment or an OXC (Optical Cross Connect) device is now spotlighted. The WDM type electronic equipment is suitable for a long distance transmission or a large volume transmission. The OXC device has a switching function by which it switches optical signals in a large number of optical fibers every wavelength.
In the above-mentioned WDM type electronic equipment or the OXC device, however, as for seeking a large volume transmission or a large switching volume of an optical signal, the number of connections of optical fibers from both inside and outside of the electronic equipment increases. Accordingly, for the electronic equipment such as the optical communication equipment used for the optical communication system wherein the optical signal is used, it is required to efficiently mount the optical fiber, which is capable of a large volume transmission at a high density, so that the inside and outside of the equipment are connected.
In a related art optical communication device, the following structure is applied in order to connect optical fibers from inside and outside of the optical communication device. That is, an adaptor is installed in a power interface unit (PIU) provided inside of the optical communication device. The adaptor is used for connecting a connector of the optical fibers.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first example of a related art connection mechanism of the optical fiber. Referring to FIG. 1, a print board (not shown in FIG. 1) is provided inside of a related art power interface unit 10. The power interface unit 10 has a unit surface plate 11 provided in the X1 direction in FIG. 1. Notch parts 13 are formed at a side of an internal circumference so as to fix a lot of adaptors 12 for connecting optical fiber.
The adaptor 12 connects an optical fiber 14 from outside of the power interface unit 10 and an optical fiber (not shown in FIG. 1) from inside of the power interface unit 10. An optical connector 15 provided at an end part of the optical fiber 14 is capable of being inserted into the adaptor 12.
In the optical connector 15, an optical connector engaging part 16 is provided in the Y1 direction in FIG. 1. When the optical connector 15 is inserted into the adaptor 12, the optical connector 15 is locked and fixed to the adaptor 12 by the optical connector engaging part 16. Therefore, the optical fiber 14 from the outside of the power interface unit 10 comes in contact with and optically connects to the optical fiber from the inside of the power interface unit 10, by the adaptor 12.
Furthermore, a lock between the optical connector 15 and the adaptor 12 is turned off by giving a pushing pressure to the optical connector engaging part 16 of the optical connector 15 which is locked and fixed by the adaptor 12, so that the optical fiber 14 can be pulled out from the adaptor 12.
Under this structure, a larger number of the optical fibers 14 are detachably connected to the adaptors 12 by the optical connectors 15. The optical fiber 14 is, for example, detached in a case of construction for providing the optical communication equipment or maintenance for the optical communication equipment.
However, in the connection structure of the optical fiber 14 shown in FIG. 1, it is necessary to operate a large number of the optical connector engaging parts 16 in order to detach or connect a large number of optical fibers 14 from or to the adaptors 12. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an operations area having a space sufficient to operate the optical connector engaging parts 16, around the adaptors 12 in the unit surface plate 11.
Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 1, in a case where a large number of adaptors 12 are provided on the unit surface plate 11 in order to connect the optical fibers 14, it is difficult to narrow a space between neighboring adaptors 12. Hence, under the structure shown in FIG. 1, it is difficult to mount a large number of the optical fibers 14 on the unit surface plate 11 at a high density.
FIG. 2-(a) is a rear view, FIG. 2-(b) is a side view, and FIG. 2-(c) is a front view, showing a second example of a related art connection mechanism of the optical fibers. Referring to FIG. 2, a rotating plate 21 is provided inside of a related art power interface unit 20.
Adaptors 22 for connecting optical connector are fixed to the rotating plate 21. An optical connector 25 provided at an end part of an optical fiber 24 from outside of the power interface unit 20 and an optical connector 27 provided at an end part of an optical fiber 26 from inside of the power interface unit 20 are connected to the adaptor 22.
When the optical fiber 24 from the outside of the power interface unit 20 is detached or connected from or to the adaptor 22, the rotating plate 21 where the adaptor 22 is fixed is rotated in a direction shown by an arrow in FIG. 2-(b) so that the adaptor 22 is pulled out to a side in the X1 direction in FIG. 2-(b).
However, under the connection structure of the optical fibers shown in FIG. 2, there is a disadvantage when the number of the optical fibers 24 increases.
That is, if the number of the adaptors 22 fixed to a single rotating plate 21 is increased in order to increase the number of the optical fibers 24, it is necessary to make an operations space in a depth direction, the X2 direction in FIG. 2-(b), of the power interface unit 20. Therefore if there is no limitation on the depth direction of the power interface unit 20, it is possible to correspond to the increase of the optical fibers 24.
Furthermore, if the number of the rotating plates 21, where the adaptors 22 are fixed, is increased in a height direction inside of the power interface unit 20, namely in the Y1-Y2 direction in FIG. 2-(b), in order to increase the number of the optical fibers 24, it is necessary to make an operations space in the height direction of the power interface unit 20. Therefore if there is a limitation on the height direction of the power interface unit 20, it is not possible to correspond to the increase of the optical fibers 24.
In addition, in a case where plural rotating plates 21 are provided in the height direction inside of the power interface unit 20, if each of the rotating plates 21 is rotated, the optical fibers 24 neighboring up and down may interfere with each other. To avoid this, it is necessary for each of the rotating plates 21 to be provided at the power interface unit 20 with a designated space. Because of this, a dead space is formed inside of the power interface unit 20 where each of the rotating plates 21 is formed.
Accordingly, under the connection structure of the optical fiber shown in FIG. 2, it is difficult to practically and effectively use a mounting space of the adaptor 22 and the optical fiber 24 inside of the power interface unit 20.
Meanwhile, Japan Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-235632 discloses an optical wiring board and method for connecting/disconnecting an optical fiber. However, in this related art invention, it is necessary to form an operations space around an optical connector which is a subject of the operation and therefore it is not possible to solve the above-discussed problems.